VEGETATION ENHANCEMENT VIA SPECIES AND CULTIVAR SELECTION: A PERSPECTIVE

Roadside maintenance personnel are limited, in large part, in what they can do with a roadside condition by the type of vegetation that was sown there originally. The grasses and legumes that were initially sown as cover along the roadsides may not have persisted. Their place may have been taken by weeds, or the intended balance of sown species may have shifted. Species persistence in a region and their roles in mixtures are generally understood in agronomic circles, but cultivars (cultivated varieties) are a newer concept and not sufficiently appreciated by many who deal with establishing vegetative covers to allay erosion and to beautify and protect our environment. Cultivar selection may be as important to the maintenance and acceptability of roadsides as the selection of species in a mixture. Seed of any species labeled as "common" is often seed of a cultivar that did not meet certification standards, and may not be appropriate for a given roadside. Older "standard" varieties such as "Kentucky 31" tall fescue and "Pennlawn" red fescue, even if certified, are now variable commodities, and some may not be appropriate. Expanded lists of cultivars of several important species and their characteristics are available. Cultivars of proven performance may be selected from lists of data generated from widespread testing under intensive management. Much less testing of cultivars of promising species has been done under extensive management, such as roadsides. The rewards of superior turf with less maintenance costs are available for those who select appropriate combinations of superior cultivars for roadside mixtures.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1989/1246/1246-006.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=VEGETATION+ENHANCEMENT+VIA+SPECIES+AND+CULTIVAR+SELECTION%3A+A+PERSPECTIVE&author=R.+Duell&publication_year=1989
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  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309050030
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1246, Winter Maintenance, Roadside Management, and Rating Routine Maintenance Activities. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Duell, Robert W
• Publication Date: 1989

Media Info

• Features: Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 49-53
• Monograph Title: Winter maintenance, roadside management, and rating routine maintenance activities
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1246
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Beautification; Environmental protection; Erosion control; Highways; Landscape design; Maintenance management; Reduction (Chemistry); Roadside; Supply
• Uncontrolled Terms: Availability; Data; Maintenance costs
• Old TRIS Terms: Cultivated varieties; Highway beautification; Reduction; Test results; Vegetation selection
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00495496
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309050030
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jul 31 1990 12:00AM